Infernosphere
Infernosphere is the first episode of the Shorts (0th) season of Back in Action: Alien Universe. Overview After being forced to fight old foe Sii with the wrong transformation, Ben's team comments on how he should get the Omnitrix fixed because of the accidental transformations. But when Ben uses the wrong combination on the Omnitrix, he finds about an old project of Azmuth's known as Inferno. New Omnitrix Codes *'00010-14' - Teleports the user to Azmuth's Abandoned Projects room Story 'Part I' find Ben as Rath, standing in a lineup next to Kevin, who is absorbing some rubber from his tires; Gwen, whose eyes are glowing and palms full of energy; Julie, being engulfed in her stout Galvanic Mechamorph pet, Ship, who creates some armor and weaponry at her disposal. They stand ready in front of a large energy being known as Sii, currently in the form of a snake--with the exception being it stands taller than most of the skyscrapers in the vicinity of Bellwood. Rath growls and sharpens his claws. Rath: LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING, SII OF THE TWENTY-THIRD DIMENSION, YOU'RE GOING TO LEAVE BELLWOOD OR RATH'S GOING TO PUT THE HURT ON YOU. Sii (who speaks in a high, beautiful, female voice): You cannot hurt me. Only I may hurt you, lower being. Rath: RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH! RATH GAVE YOU A CHANCE, SII OF THE TWENTY THIRD DIMENSION, NOW HE'S GOING TO TEAR YOU INTO TWENTY PARTS, WHICH HE'LL THEN RIP INTO MORE PARTS, AND THEN USE THEM AS TROPHIES ON HIS FLOOR. RAAAAAAGH! Rath catapults himself into the sky, landing on the squishy land mass that was Sii's back. Sii (yet again in a beautiful, down-to-earth voice): You're going to get off me, Appoplexian, or you and your planet will be wiped from existence. Gwen (to Julie and Kevin): Despite the peaceful voice, she definitely doesn't mean well. Kevin (turns his right hand into a large mace, and his left into a large fist): Yeah, Gwen. So are we going after her or not. Ship makes his Ship noises. Julie: Ship's right. Balls her hand into a fist Let's do this! Gwen creates a path of mana steps up to Sii's face, and starts blasting her. At the same time, Kevin dashes over to Sii's underside, attempting to lift it and damge it. Meanwhile, Julie uses a jetpack Ship creates to fly over to Sii's eyes, and starts blasting from there. Rath: LEMME TELL YOU SOMETHING, FRIENDS, RATH CAN DO THIS ON HIS OWN! Sii then flips her tail, which sends Rath flying in the air. He lands far off in the distance on someone's house, bashing through the ceiling, and landing in a bathroom sink. People living in the house come upstairs to the scene. At this instant, Rath transforms into Jetray. Jetray (with finger to his chin, thinking): That'll come right out with some, uh, well, whatever you guys clean your home with...Jetray thrusts himself upwards and flies back to the scene of Sii's Bellwood infiltration. front of Kevin is a cloud of smoke that grew larger with every bit of contact he made with Sii's tail from Kevin's morphed fists. As he stops to check how much progress he's made on Sii, he's surprised to see--- Kevin (whose hands revert to normal): Uhh...guys...I don't think we're doing anything to stop the snake. Jetray (who slowly drops to the ground on his feet): You're right, Kevin. When I was Rath, Sii said that only she could hurt us. So if that's true, wouldn't she be able to hurt herself, too? Kevin: What are you getting at, Ben? Jetray: We've dealt with her before, and last time, she wasn't a snake. She was a ball, and that was right after she caught me as Cannonbolt. Maybe she's a shapeshifter, and she uses whatever form seems the most powerful out of what she's seen. Kevin: So you're saying we have to do... Jetray: Leave this one to me, Kevin. Just, on my mark, punch Sii's tail as hard as you can. Kevin: Got it. Kevin runs around back to Sii's tail, while Jetray flies off to Sii's face. Jetray (whispering to Gwen and Julie): Girls, I got this. Gwen (whispering): You sure, Ben? Jetray (whispering): Positive. Gwen (whispering): C'mon, Julie. Julie (whispering): You can do this, Ben. She and Gwen use Gwen's mana steps to return to street level. Sii: Have you all figured it out? That you cannot stop me? At last? Jetray: Yes, we have, Sii, and we'd like to surrender to you, greatest of the Twenty-Third dimension. Sii: At last. Now I can finally take you as a prize to my father. Jetray: Sure. As soon as you defeat me in battle, you can take me. Sii: But you have already surrendered? You have already lost? Jetray: But where's the fun in me surrendering and you taking me if you didn't really defeat me? Sii: Hmm...You're right, Ben Tennyson. Jetray blasts Sii in the face with his eyes and tail. Sii (eyes closed, slithering backwards away from Jetray): Aaaaah! She opens her eyes, and now they are glowing a bright white, like the white center of her blue-outlined body. Sii: Alright, Ben Tennyson! Enough is enough! I see when I'm nearly defeated, but the battle isn't over till I've won! She laughs. So did you see this coming, Ben 10! Sii transforms, before everyone, into something of an Aerophibian, nonetheless keeping her 23rd Dimension glow. Jetray (crossing his arms): Yeah, I did. But did *you* except this, Sii? Jetray (yelling over to Kevin down behind Sii's tail): NOW, KEVIN! Sii: Why you little--! Sii throws out her arms to catch Jetray before she's beaten, but simply catches air as Jetray becomes Humongousaur and drops down to the ground, followed by human form at last. Kevin then punches at Sii's tail, which causes a green Aerophibian ray to be blasted at her, except with enhanced enough power to cause her to fall forward. She reverts to her regular 23rd Dimension form--a tiny blue and white cube, about the size of a Rubix Cube. Ben (picking up and holding Sii in cube form in his hand): And that's how we get the job done, guys. Kevin: I don't normally say this, Tennyson, but good job. On the plan, at least. We would've been done with this so much faster if your Omnitrix hadn't given you Rath over Way Big. Julie (now in human form, holding Ship in her hands): Yeah, Kevin's right. Maybe you should find a way to get the Creator to fix it, Ben. Ship makes more Ship noises. Julie: Or maybe Ship can fix it for you. Ben: No, guys. This has always happened. But then again, Azmuth did finally give me some new codes to try out. Tell my parents I'll be home in an hour, Gwen, that I'm hanging out with Julie. Julie: Why don't you hang out with my anyway, Ben? Ben: Want to come with me to Azmuth? It might be a bit boring just watching him fix the Omnitrix. Julie: Yeah, of course I do, Ben. I'll be with you, won't I? Julie walks up to Ben, and stands beside him as he turns the knob on the Omnitrix back and forth, dialing in a passcode. Julie waves back to Gwen and Kevin. Omnitrix: Teleport complete. A large ball of energy irradiates from the Omnitrix, engulfing Ben and Julie. It slowly dies down, revealing Ben and Julie's teleport completion. Gwen: So, Kevin... Kevin (absorption process dies away, revealing his human form): Yeah, Gwen? Gwen: Do you want to, uh, go hang out? Kevin: Sure. If your cousin didn't break my car today. Gwen: Speaking of your car breaking, how do you always manage to get it fixed seemingly not even losing any of the weapons you added to it? Kevin: Well that's a funny story, Gwen... Kevin wraps his arms around Gwen and inaudible talking occurs as he walks around the giant pothole left behind by Sii's fall to his car. A glow appears behind them, revealing Paradox. Paradox: But the story of how Kevin manages that is for another day. Quite a tale he has to offer you right now. Right now, the story focuses on the Ben 10 couple... OF PART 1 'Part II' we are in a dark room filled with storage crates. The room stands with an 8-foot-high ceiling. Most of the crates have labels in various alien languages, all closed off with the Galvan Peace Symbol--the green hourglass with two black triangles on the outsides. A green glow appears, and a female voice in the room welcomes the visitors behind the glow. Female Voice: Welcome, Humans: Ben Tennyson, Wielder of the Omnitrix and Julie Yamamoto, Tennis Champion; Galvanic Mechamorph: Ship, offspring of Baz-El the conman. Teleport code: 00010-14; source: Omnitrix. The glow fades away as Ben, Julie, and Ship, sitting in Julie's hands, become visible. The lights in the room come on in sequence, from the front where Ben and co. enter, to the end of the room. This reveals a statuesque tube at the end of the room. Ben: Teleporting always feels so weird when Azmuth doesn't simply beam us--Wait, did that voice just say "14" at the end of that code? Julie: I think so. Ben (throwing his hand to his face): Aw, man. I might have put in the wrong code, Julie. Julie: Oh. So where are we then? Ben removes his hand from his face, replacing it at his chin to think. After a few moments, he snaps his fingers and puts on a gleeful expression. Ben: Well, that voice sounded a lot like Myaxx, so we're probably in a storage room in Azmuth's headquarters on Galvan Mark II. All we have to do now is dial in the other code, or find some stairs. Ben starts twisting the Omnitrix, trying to get the right combination for the teleport, but it soon enters Recharge Mode from the massive amount of energy needed to teleport from Earth to Galvan Mark II. Uhh, bad news, Julie. The Omnitrix is out of power from the teleport. Julie: Has teleporting ever really taken all the power from the Omnitrix before, Ben? Ben: Well...no, but it's never done it without Azmuth's help before. It probably just has to adjust. Julie: Alright, so we'll just have to find a way out of this room. Ben and Julie start scouring the room, opening boxes and messing with the contraptions within. First, Ben finds a first-edition Laser Lance, which when fired, simply leaves a mark on the wall. Then, Julie finds an Anti-Gravity Projector that resembles Goop's. When she puts the Projector and Ship down on the floor, Ship starts playing with it, eventually to a point of getting it stuck over his head. After a few minutes of searching, Ben calls out to Julie. Ben (yelling): Find anything, Julie? Julie (still searching through some crates): No. What about you? Ben: Nothing importa--Whoa, what is this? Julie (stopping in her tracks and tracing Ben's voice): I'm on my way! When Julie arrives, she finds Ben smoothing his hand over a large blue tube. Julie follows, and touches the tube as well, immediately pulling it back. Julie: It's...cold. Ben: There's got to be something in there, Julie. Julie: But how are we going to get in there? The Omnitrix is recharging still, isn't it? Ben: Yeah, but I think I found something that can keep it charged long enough for me to use Four Arms and get this thing open. Julie: Are you sure you should be doing this? I mean, if Azmuth or whoever put whatever's in there in there, they probably had a good reason to do it. Ben (shuffling through some inventions found in crates he left in a pile): It's probably long gone by now, just a shell, like Dr. Vicktor. Julie: Depends on how long it's been in there... Momentary silence. Julie: You find that thing yet, Ben? Ben (pulling himself out of the trash heap with a tiny green ball): It's packed with Galvanic Mechamorph energy, like Ship's. Julie: Do you know where to put something like that? Ben: Have faith, Julie. Pops up the Omnitrix dial, and places the green ball on a circular symbol on the Omnitrix tower. Omnitrix, can you use this as a power source? Omnitrix: Yes. 30 seconds of charge will be drawn from this Galvanic Mechamorph power source. Are you ready to start the clock? Ben hits the Omnitrix tower down, becoming Heatblast. Heatblast (dropping his head into his hand, then pulling his head up and inflaming his hands): Omnitrix, at this point, why even give me a choice? Just keep switching the aliens when I activate the dial. At least then I'll have a little fun. Julie: Ben. Focus. Heatblast: Right. Stand back. Julie paces back, and Ship creates a bean-bag chair a few steps away for her to sit in. Julie: Thank you, Ship. Heatblast: Alright. Heatblast's intense heat becomes visible around, creating a red glow that starts to melt away the condensation on the tube. Omnitrix: 10 seconds of power left on external power source. Heatblast: I think I see a button under some ice on the tube. If I can just--grr--melt it, we can push it and hopefully it'll open this thing. Julie: Alright, Ben. Should I come near the button to help? Heatblast: Use Ship's armor. Julie: Of course. Ship surrounds Julie, creating his Ship Armor around her. Julie begins to approach Ben, covering herself from the heat. Ship can be heard panting. Hold on, Ship. Omnitrix: 5 seconds of power left on external power source. Recommend reverse-transformation now. Heatblast: C'mon... Julie (now standing near the button): It's almost melted, Ben. Just a little more... Omnitrix: 4... Heatblast: Omnitrix, hold in there... Omnitrix: 3... Ship starts squealing and making loud "Ship" sounds. Omnitrix: 2... Heatblast: One more burst...The glow around Heatblast grows larger, and the button finally starts to melt. Omnitrix: 1... Julie: Ben, you can do this. Ship (half-cheerful, half in pain): Ship, Ship, Ship! Omnitrix: Cycling to Recharge Mode... Heatblast: And...BOOM! The glow around Heatblast grows more intense for a second, melting through the button. The Omnitrix's hourglass turns red, and the glow fades away as Heatblast falls to his knees, reverting to human Ben. Ben (one finger in the air, dizzy): Did we win the game, team? Ben falls over on his face. Ship unwraps himself from Julie, and starts poking Ben. Ship becomes a long table under Ben, and lifts him into the air. He creates a few instruments for waking Ben up painlessly, and after numerous attempts, shocks the Omnitrix by accident, which pulses Ben awake. Ben rolls over onto the floor. Ben (getting up in a fighting pose): Whoa--where--when-- Julie: You did it, Ben. Ben (putting his hands down): Oh. Care to do the honors, Julie? Julie: Oh, but Ben, you're the one who broke through to whatever's in there. You should do it. Ben (blushing): Well, I couldn't have without your confidence in me. You do the honors, Julie. Julie: You sure, Ben? Ben: I'm sure. Julie: Alright. Julie slowly approaches the button, and comes in carefully for the button. When pressed, smoke is visible inside the tube, and the glass door of it breaks off. As the smoke is pushed away, revealed to be inside is--''' Ben: A Heatblast? [Posing like a mummy found in a Sarcophagus, a Pyronite lay within with its eyes closed and its fire burnt out. Ben bends down to the bottom of the tube where he notices a piece of tape peel off. Ben rips the remaining tape, and reads off the words, the only ones in the room written in English, his finger hovering over each word he reads.] Ben: Project '''Dramatic pause Inferno. OF PART II 'Part III' Julie, and Ship marvel at the Pyronite within the tube. Julie: Ben, is that--? Ben: Yeah. But why would Azmuth keep this guy in a freezer. Julie: Maybe it's not really like one of your aliens. Maybe it's a robot. Ben: There's no way, Julie. It's flame is gone, and this thing was freezing. Any robot I've seen, every try at making a robot that can control fire, always short-circuit and break after freezing it. Julie: So, are you saying Azmuth intentionally froze a living, breathing alien? Ben: I don't want to believe it, but that's all we can believe right now. Julie: Do you think there's anyway to bring it back to life? Ben: Well, it needs to be hot. Brings his arm close to his face to see the state of Recharge Mode. 'And by the looks of it, the Omnitrix won't be charged for a while. Julie: Maybe there's something hot in the room? Ben: Hmm...'Turns around, and looks down at Ship. '''What about Ship? Maybe he has something that can generate some heat? Julie: Ship? Can you? '''Ship jumps up and down, and soon turns into a Laser Lance, but only for a quick second to jolt Ben's memory. Julie: What was that, Ship? Ben: It was a Laser Lance. The Forever Knights use those as their go-to weapons. I remember seeing an original model lying around in the first crate I checked. Julie: I think I saw one like that, too, then. Walks over to her heap of trash, and after only a few seconds, pulls out a laser lance. Ben: Whoa, that would have to be one of the newer models; not sure how new, though. You try firing that at the Pyronite. In the background, Julie starts repeatedly firing red beams at the Pyronite, which shake the soulless body, but do not inflame it. Meanwhile, Ship starts transforming into a variety of items he saw Julie and Ben find in some crates. At the very last transformation Ship can pull off before getting tired, Ben finds what he wants--a red, glowing ball. Ben: Ship, thanks. That was just what I needed. Julie, did you find a red ball while you were looking through some crates? Julie: Umm, yeah, I think it's at the back of my treasure pile. Ben: Treasure? Alright, then. Ben runs towards the pile, slips around the small gap between the trash and the wall to make it to the other side, and finds a red ball. At just that moment, a bright glow irradiates from the tube. The Pyronite's awake. Female Voice: Project Inferno re-activated by external source: Level 4 laser blast. Ben: Be prepared for this, Julie. Pyronites are dangerous aliens. Julie readies her Laser Lance in preparation of a fight with Project Inferno, who peacefully floats out from his coffin, pulling his arms down to his sides. His eyes open, and his flame becomes orange. With his first blink, he starts twisting his head to observe his environment. Project Inferno: My name...is Inferno. A pleasure to meet you two, Ben 10 and Ms. Yamamoto. Might I ask where we are right now? Julie: How do you know our names? Ben: And more importantly, how did you get in that freezer? Inferno: Oh, this? (while patting the freezer) This is just my stasis chamber. Azmuth puts me in here so I may learn in a virtual environment while being uninterrupted. A pleasure to see you two so concerned for my life, or the life of whatever else could have been preserved in that chamber. Ben: Azmuth put you in there? When? I've never even heard him talk about a Project Inferno before. And you seem like a prideful invention. Inferno: Well, thank you for that. I will not recite my life story, but rather give you a brief interview. Myaxx AI, activate Project Inferno Interview Program. Female Voice (Myaxx AI): Activated. Question 1: Where were you born and when? Inferno: 1,000 years ago, approximately, I was born on Pyros. When I was young, Azmuth took me from my poor and slowly dying family. He would improve me, so my DNA would be used for the Pyronite DNA in the Codon Stream, as well as for the reproduction of an enhanced era of Pyronites. The project went horribly wrong, creating hundreds of Pyronites with far better abilities than average. Pyronites from the galaxy over were losing jobs as Plumbers and other occupations. Azmuth was the one responsible, and it was me who had to irradicate them. My emotions got the best of me, and I wanted to control them as an army. I don't understand my reasoning anymore, or where my human emotions came from. All I know is Azmuth had to put me, and all the other enhanced Pyronites down. After hundreds of years of upgrade, my emotions were repaired. Azmuth would use me as an assistant, as well as "lab rat," as you humans call it, and when I wasn't needed, I would be put in stasis. Inferno (snaps his finger once): Myaxx AI, disable the interview program. I believe they know enough. Myaxx AI: Disabled successfully. Ben: So...did we interrupt your sleep or something? Inferno: No, no. It's great to be out and about. I'd actually like to experience the walls outside of Azmuth's headquarters. He's never given me a chance, but if he's not aware of my leave, he shouldn't care. Ben: You sure you're allowed outside these walls? Inferno: Hmm...your Omnitrix needs to be charged, right? Ben: Yeah, but what does that have to do with-- Inferno blasts a green energy blast at the Omnitrix, which turns the hourglass green. Inferno: For that, my fee of leaving, please. Ben: Well, I'm not sure, but... Inferno: C'mon, Ben. It's so painful having to stay within these walls all the time, even I am mostly in a virtual world in stasis. Ben: Alright. Help me get through these walls. Inferno: Haha, I've tried. The walls can only be broken from the outside. Ben: And I know just who can get outside and break through, then. Whispering: C'mon, Big Chill! Pops up the Omnitrix tower, a Big Chill hologram appears, and Ben pushes down ever-so slowly with his index finger on the tower. Following a green glow, Ben becomes Big Chill. Big Chill: Big...Chill...Guys, I think I found the secret to getting the right alien: simply dial it in and-- Inferno: That's great, Ben. The wall, please. Big Chill: You don't have to be so rude, you know. Inferno: Apologies, great Ben 10. Big Chill: That's better. As Big Chill phases through the wall, Ship approaches Inferno's floating body, and starts barking at it by repeating "Ship". Inferno: Can you please remove your Galvanic Mechamorph pet from beneath me? His species dearly does freak me out. Julie: Oh, he's just trying to warm up to you. Come here, Ship. Ship bounces over to Julie's lowered arms, and she lifts him up to chest level, where he flips around to face Inferno with an angry eye. Inferno: Hmm...a, pun, Ms. Yamamoto? Julie: What do you mean? Inferno: Oh, never you mind then. Suddenly the wall cracks, and following that, a large hole crumbles. Behind it, Humongousaur's face peers in. Humongousaur: Looks like the trick to getting the right alien didn't work this time. I still wanted Four Arms... Inferno: Oh, it's alright, Ben, you'll get it next time. Humongousaur: How would you know? Inferno: Call it a hunch. Humongousaur: Well, cool, then. C'mon Julie. I've got to repair this wall before any Galvan notices. Inferno floats out through the hole, and Julie walks out with no motivation to move quickly. Inferno: You sure are a speed demon, Ms. Yama-- Julie: Save it. You're free, Inferno. Go on. But remember to come back here later. Humongousaur taps his Omnitrix symbol, becoming Upgrade. Upgrade: Time to repair this thing... OF PART III 'Part IV' circular door separating Azmuth's primary intelligence room and the hallways beyond swings open. Entering the room are Ben, Julie, and Ship, who walked on his own this time around, escorted by an unfamiliar female Galvan (dinstinctly female by her hair). Female Galvan: Azmuth, you have visitors. A panel on the ground slides away, and out from it comes Azmuth on a rising circular platform. When he steps off onto the floor in the room, the platform descends and the panel covers the hole Azmuth came from. Azmuth: Oh, I see. Thank you, Mirra. Mirra / Female Galvan: Of course, Azmuth. Bows, and walks back out of the circular door, which closes after she leaves. Azmuth: So, Ben, what is it this time? Or have you just come to say "hello"? Ben: Well, you see, it's about the Omnitrix. Azmuth: Yes, yes...and what about the Omnitrix? Ben: Well, I was fighting someone today and-- Azmuth: Hold that thought. Sii of the Twenty-Third Dimension Bicksurian Royal Family engaged in battle today, did she not? Ben: Yeah, and by the way, she's still unconscious. Azmuth: Do you have her form with you? Ben: Yeah, right here. Pulls out the glowing white and blue cube that is Sii and lays it down on the floor for Azmuth to observe. Azmuth: Good, good. Snaps his fingers, teleporting the cube away. I sent her back to her father with a note attached about her travels to our dimension and your home world. King Maxin will deal with her. Julie: King Maxin? Azmuth: Yes, her father. You know, Ben, from what any Galvan can tell about interdimensional personality-wise similarities, King Maxin could be the Twenty-Third Dimension's version of your grandfather. Ben: Grandpa Max? But how does that work? He's from the third dimension. Azmuth: Hmm...it quite complex explaining it to a Human. Professor Paradox says you'll figure it out some day. Ben: Alright. So can you fix the Omnitrix? My friends have been complaining about how it gives me the wrong transformation when I really need it. I could dial in Way Big, and it would give me Grey Matter; or Humongousaur and I get Nanomech. Azmuth: I see...Hand me the Omnitrix, Ben 10. Ben: Hand it to you? Azmuth: Well, you know what I mean. Bring it over to me. Leaping from limb-to-limb proves to be an unpleasant occasion, correct? Ben: You're right... Bends over and gives his arm to Azmuth. Azmuth observes the Omnitrix, and twists the dial causing the tower to pop up. No hologram appears. Azmuth: Disable Safeguard Level One. Omnitrix: Safeguard Level One breached or disabled. Azmuth: There you go, Ben. Ben: Can't you just give me Master Control instead? Azmuth: Of course, I can. But it's not necessary at this point in time. Julie: Uh, guys, look outside! the large window in front of Ben, Azmuth, Julie, and Ship, was a Pyronite flying around, blasting areas of that Galvan town. Cries of terror weren't audible due to many layers of walls on Azmuth's intelligence room, as well as the size of the Galvan species and the height of the headquarters. Red, yellow, and green lasers were shoot at an immeasurably fast rate at the Pyronite outside, but nothing could stop him. Ben: Oh no... Azmuth: Benjamin Kirby Tennyson! Do you have anything to do with this? Ben: I...might... Azmuth: You unleashed Project Inferno on Galvan Prime?! Have you not the slightest ability to read the warnings on his lockdown chamber. Ben: Lockdown chamber...? Azmuth: Yes, lockdown chamber. He was in there so he would be incapable of using any of his powers. Without his flame burning, none of his powers worked. He could not levitate, conjure up Mechamorph-esque energy--and you disobeyed those warnings! You let him out in the open! Now, you're going to have to stop him. Ben: Well, I think I can now. If the dial's working properly now, then I should get just what I'm asking for. The Omnitrix tower pops up, and the hologram is Four Arms. A blue blast outside Azmuth's window appeared, knocking Inferno off his game, sending him flying towards the intelligence room. Julie: Ben! Ben: I'm on it! C'mon, Omnitrix, let's make this hero time! Ben smacks the hologram on the Omnitrix. A green glow appears, and Ben begins to become thicker. A thin, long shape on his head appears replacing his hair; followed by losing one finger; the Omnitrix then travels to Ben's chest, and from the neck-down, his chest, stomach, and legs become purple with many black spots. His sneakers flatten out simply into toe-less feet, and his arms turn green. With fully-green eyes and a green head, Ben's alien screams its name: Diamondhead! Diamondhead: You see, Azmuth? Even without whatever you did, this thing never gives me what I want. Azmuth: No, it may not, Ben, but that's because the Omnitrix anticipates events. It gives you the more likely alien to succeed in battle, the more useful alien for coming events. With safeguard 1, it's difficult for it to truly tell which is the most useful alien for the job, but without it, you may have a better chance of winning your battles as long as you don't complain about every incorrect transformation. Diamondhead: Uh...but how am I supposed to-- At that moment, Inferno comes crashing through the glass, and as if in slow-motion, Diamondhead uses quick thinking to pull up a large diamond wall cutting Inferno off from him, Azmuth, Julie, and Ship. When Ben hears Inferno bump the wall on the other side, he knows it was a success. Azmuth: You see? Now would Four Arms have been able to conjure up a wall to protect all 4 of us? Diamondhead (with a smile locked as his expression): I guess not. Alright, Inferno, bring it on! Inferno stands. Inferno: Alright, Tennyson. As soon as I'm done with you, Azmuth's next! For locking me in that lockdown chamber for 900 years, the only punishment worthwhile for you is taking the next 3000 years off your lifetime! Diamondhead: But you'll have to go past me first. Inferno: Wow, you're an idiot, Ben 10. Did I not just say that? Diamondhead: Oh, let's just fight. Inferno: Alright, then, but you'll lose in that form. The two jump up at each other, but at that moment, everything freezes. Julie cheering Ben on in the background with her eyes closed mid-blink, Azmuth with his finger out ready to give a tip to Ben about Inferno, and Ship mid-air, mid-hop. Following a great blue glow, Paradox appears. Paradox: Hello, again. I bet you're wondering how this fight transpires. Well, it turned out to be a vigorous battle between a man of brawn and brain, and Ben, a man of well, something somewhere in between that. Inferno proved to be the formidable foe, and showed that he could top even Diamondhead. In the background, Diamondhead is seen laying on the floor with half of his right arm missing. Inferno is in the middle of laughter, and Julie has her eyes wide-open, afraid of the following events. Paradox: Ben might have been down, but not out. While Diamondhead wasn't a durable alien for fighting Inferno, the Appoplexian--Rath--proved to be a much more worthy adversary. In the background, Rath is seen jumping at Inferno with his claws ready and his mouth open as he growled. Inferno is standing rather than floating, with his hands flaming and balled into fists. Paradox: Inferno could very well withstand Rath, but not for long. Ben eventually found a weak spot in Inferno--his chest. Just where Heatblast would have an Omnitrix, a blow to the chest on Inferno caused him to go into a brief paralyzed state. This was the tip Azmuth tried to give Ben earlier, but Ben wasn't listening, and the fight could have been over before it started had he in the first place. After pinning down Inferno on the floor, Rath dealt several blows to Inferno's chest. Eventually, Inferno's flame began to die out, and instead turned green. The Omnitrix had blasted some energy into Inferno, but this kind was ready to blow. Ben, even as Rath, was destined to save Inferno from implosion. But he couldn't save him. The background flashes into Inferno being blown from the chest, filled with energy. Rath, in the middle of reverting to human Ben, looks on in awe; Azmuth quite similarly doing the same with eyes full at the glow from the implosion of Inferno. Paradox: When Ben was in his human form, he looked on at the remains of Inferno. Many of the enhancements, Azmuth deduced, had overridden his emotions, his personality, and even caused him to go mad, similarly to how I did over 1,000,000 years ago--or, well, 60 years for those of you stuck in time as it moves. I must return to my duties now. That blue flash that knocks Inferno towards Azmuth's building won't happen on its own, now will it? Paradox flashes away, and time slows back into regular speed. Azmuth approaches Ben, and pats his his leg, the closet thing he can at his height. Azmuth: Ben, you proved you can truly handle yourself as an Appoplexian, proved you can deal with accidental transformations, proved you had a heart pure enough to want to seek Inferno's return to good. But, you mustn't stick yourself to the emotions you feel now. Continue to move forward, Ben. Maybe I'll give you Master Control some day. You know, just after you clean my abandoned projects room. Ben: Alright, Azmuth. Azmuth: But not now. I can see it's getting far too hectic here on Galvan Prime. I want to take a vacation. Myaxx comes onscreen, entering from the circular door. Azmuth: Maybe I'll stay on Earth, where the weather is nice, and I can look back on the less intelligent beings even the Galvans once were long, long ago. Myaxx will be my replacement, won't you? Myaxx: Of course, sir. Just don't vacation to Xenon after what happened last time. Azmuth: I won't. No need to worry for me. Ben, if you need anything, just ask Myaxx. And Myaxx, if Ben wants you to disable safeguards 2 on, or Master Control, don't allow it unless the situation is proven to be a dire one, in which case the Professor will inform me, as well as you, in advance. Paradox: Now won't I. At this moment, Paradox's blue glow appears in the room, placing him behind Myaxx. Paradox: Nice to see you again, Myaxx, how's the job going? Myaxx (shrugging): Pretty decent, considering what I used to have to go through before Azmuth finished the Omnitrix. Paradox: Oh, you know Azmuth is sorry for what you had to endure during that time. Myaxx: No, I don't. Crosses her arms. He's never apologized. Paradox: Hmm... Pulls out his pocket watch. You're right. Not yet, he hasn't. Oh, what a lovely time it will be once you've heard him apologized. Ben: Paradox, what are you doing here? Paradox: Just came in to say, everything's alright. Keeps his eyes on his clock for a few seconds, then returns his sight to everyone around him. And you see I have. A pleasure talking to you, Ben, Myaxx. We'll have to chat sometime, Julie. How time works, it's bound to happen sooner or later. Paradox flashes away. we're at Gwen's house, where Kevin and Gwen are watching TV in Gwen's dad's room. Gwen: You know, Kevin, there's other people in this room you could talk to. Kevin: Not when there's a game on, Gwen. It's just me and-- Julie, Ben, and Ship appear in the room. Kevin: Everyone else who just got here. Ben: And we got here the fun way, too. Gwen: Paradox brought you? Ben: Yep. Kevin: Oh, joy, a time traveler brought you to your uncle's room. Now, pipe down, Tennyson. Gwen crosses her arms, disgusted at Kevin's distraction by her dad's TV Ben: You know, I think you two should go on a trip together. Maybe Kevin will have a reason to be romantic if you don't bring his car or your dad's TV. Julie kisses Ben on the cheek. Julie: I had fun on our date, Ben. But I have to get home. Ben: Can't I bring you home with Upgrade, or maybe, Jetray, or XLR8? Kevin: Don't bother, Ben, she left her scooter in my trunk. The trunk's unlocked, just get it, and lock it will 'ya? Ben: You going to give me the keys? Kevin: You offered to use Upgrade; use 'em. Ben (sighs): Alright. Ben and Julie leave the room. Julie puts her hand in Ben's, as they disappear out the room. An almost-final blue glow appears, and the background becomes black. Paradox appears on screen. Paradox: I heard these 4 were going on some more adventures like these soon, so you might want to tune in. No Spoilers. And one last blue glow appears and disappears, leaving only a black screen. OF PART IV / EPISODE Characters Main Characters *Ben Tennyson *Julie Yamamoto *Ship *Gwen Tennyson (Part 1) *Kevin Levin (Part 1) Minor Characters *Paradox Villains *Inferno (first appearance; Part 4) *Sii (first appearance onscreen; Part 1) Aliens Used 'by Ben' *Rath (x2) (first time: accidental transformation, selected was Way Big) *Jetray *Humongousaur (x2) (first time: cameo; second time: accidental transformation, selected was Four Arms) *Heatblast (accidental transformation; selected was Four Arms) *Upgrade (x2) (first time, cameo; second time, offscreen after episode) *Diamondhead (accidental transformation; selected was Four Arms) 'by Sii' *Arburian Pelarota (offscreen; mentioned) *Snake (from Ssserpent) *Aerophibian (from Jetray) Trivia *Ben mentions Dr. Vicktor being an empty shell to Julie, and she does not ask who he is. How Julie is aware of Dr. Vicktor isn't mentioned. *Throughout the episode, Ben attempts to become Four Arms. By the end, it is revealed that the Omnitrix gives the most useful alien for the task at hand, but Safeguard 1 (disabled by Azmuth) made it difficult for the Omnitrix to find the appropriate alien. Category:Ben 10: Alien Universe Chronology Category:Episodes Category:Shorts Category:BiA Exclusive Episodes